The European Landscape Convention
The UK has signed the European Landscape Convention, recognising the importance of landscape to our natural heritage.
Council of Europe Landscape Convention (Council of Europe website)
The Convention describes landscape as ‘an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors’.
This is a wide-ranging and inclusive definition, and it covers all landscapes – including towns, villages and open countryside, whether:
- natural or managed
- designated, or not
Decision making around landscape
Scottish Forestry understands that trees, woodlands and forests contribute to the quality of our diverse landscapes.
We also know that new planting, or managing existing cover, can affect the way a landscape is perceived.
Because of this we helped to develop the principles set out in UK Forestry Standard (UKFS). We use these to inform our decision-making; Chapter 6 contains the relevant requirements and guidelines for Forests and Landscape.
UK Forestry Standard, 5th edition
Guidance from other organisations
Landscape Character Assessments
NatureScot has mapped and described the variety of landscapes found throughout Scotland, defining areas of similar Landscape Character Type.
This process, and the resulting information, is highlighted in the UKFS as an important reference when integrating forestry into Scotland’s variety of landscapes.
Landscape Character Assessment (NatureScot website / Làrach-lìn NàdarAlba)
Historic Land Use Assessments
The Historic Land-use Assessment (HLA) is a GIS dataset viewed as an interactive map.
The HLA is a key tool for understanding the historic landscape and complements other techniques of landscape assessment.
In combination, these enable a more holistic view of:
- the landscape and its development over time
- integrated approaches to landscape management and planning
HLAmap, Scotland's historic land use (HLAmap website)
